1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a ball provided with pressure indicating features that allow a person throwing the ball to receive feedback regarding force exerted by him on the ball as he throws it.
2. The Prior Art
In the past, pitchers have been taught the fundamentals of leg, arm, body and eye position and control while pitching a ball, such as a baseball or a softball. However, a pitcher could execute all of these fundamentals of body movement correctly and still throw pitches that did not travel as desired, i.e. out-of-control pitches.
Research has shown that the amount of pressure exerted on the ball before release from the pitcher's hand has a great deal to do with where the ball travels after it is released. For example, when too much pressure is exerted on the ball before release, the pitcher tends to release the ball late with the result that the ball travels off-target, usually low and outside the strike zone located over home plate.
Also in the past, pitchers have had difficulty learning how to place their fingers on the ball in order to throw certain types of pitches, such as curve balls, sliders, and knuckle balls. Although outlines have been drawn on balls to indicate where the pitcher's fingers should be placed in order to throw various types of pitches, until now there has been no way of determining whether the pitcher's fingers were actually properly placed during execution of the pitch. With proper finger placement, proper grip pressure, and proper fundamentals of body movement, a pitcher has a much greater chance of throwing an on-target pitch.
The present invention offers reinforcement and feedback regarding the amount and location of pressure applied to the ball before release of the ball in order to assist the pitcher in finding and maintaining his best pressure grip for optimum ball control. To do this, the ball is provided with pressure sensing means for registering the amount and location of pressure exerted on the ball by the pitcher as he throws the ball and means for providing feedback to the pitcher regarding the pressure information registered by the sensing means.